Solid-state image pickup device with transmittance control element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9609228-B2
Application number	US-201414206464-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2014
Priority date	Mar 19, 2013
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

Provided is a solid-state image pickup device that includes: a plurality of pixels each including a photoelectric conversion element; and a transmittance control element provided on a light incident side of the photoelectric conversion element of at least a part of the plurality of pixels, and configured to change a transmittance of incident light by an external input.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A solid-state image pickup device, comprising:
a plurality of pixels,
wherein each pixel of the plurality of pixels includes a photodiode,
wherein the plurality of pixels include one or more pixel pairs and each of the one or more pixel pairs includes a first pixel and a second pixel,
wherein the first pixel and the second pixel are configured to detect a same wavelength as one another, and are provided adjacent to one another; and

a chromic mirror provided on a light incident side of the photodiode of at least a part of the plurality of pixels, and configured to change a transmittance of incident light by an external input,
wherein the chromic mirror is configured to face an entire region of a light receiving surface of the photodiode, for each of the plurality of pixels,
wherein each of the one or more pixel pairs includes a floating diffusion that is shared between the first pixel and the second pixel,
and
wherein the solid-state image pickup device is configured to:
read out an output signal from the plurality of pixels while the transmittance is controlled by the chromic mirror, wherein the output signal is read out from the first pixel and the second pixel sequentially or alternately by use of the floating diffusion,
expose the first pixel to the incident light while the chromic mirror in the first pixel is controlled to a transmissive state and the chromic mirror in the second pixel is controlled to a reflective state in the one or more pixel pairs,
store a charge into the first pixel while the chromic mirror in the first pixel and the chromic mirror in the second pixel are controlled to the reflective state after the exposure of the first pixel to the incident light,
expose the second pixel to the incident light by control of the chromic mirror in the second pixel to the transmissive state upon the read out of the charge stored in the first pixel as the output signal,
store a charge into the second pixel while the chromic mirror in the first pixel and the chromic mirror in the second pixel are controlled to the reflective state after the exposure of the second pixel to the incident light, and
expose the first pixel to the incident light by control of the chromic mirror in the first pixel to the transmissive state upon the read out of the charge stored in the second pixel as the output signal.

2. The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 1 , wherein the chromic mirror is provided to face a part of a light receiving surface of the photodiode, for each of the first pixel and the second pixel included in the one or more pixel pairs.

3. The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 2 , wherein a gap is in between the chromic mirror of the first pixel and the chromic mirror of the second pixel.

4. The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 1 , further comprising an on-chip lens provided on a light incident side of the chromic mirror and striding over the first pixel and the second pixel of the one or more pixel pairs,
wherein two pixel pairs, of the one or more pixel pairs, that detect the same wavelength as one another are adjacent to each other.

5. The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 4 , further comprising a signal processing section configured to process the output signal obtained from the plurality of pixels, the signal processing section being configured to correct the output signal based on a light-shielding film between the first pixel and the second pixel.

6. The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 1 , wherein the chromic mirror is configured to change the transmittance based on one of a gas reaction, a voltage, a temperature, or the incident light.

7. The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 1 , further comprising a signal processing section configured to process the output signal obtained from the plurality of pixels, the signal processing section being configured to correct the output signal based on the transmittance and a reflectance of the chromic mirror.

8. The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 1 , further comprising a signal processing section configured to process the output signal obtained from the plurality of pixels, the signal processing section being configured to correct noise of the output signal.

9. The solid-state image pickup device according to claim 1 , further comprising a signal processing section configured to process the output signal obtained from the plurality of pixels, the signal processing section being configured to correct intensity of the output signal.

10. A method of driving a solid-state image pickup device, comprising:
driving a chromic mirror provided on a light incident side of a photodiode in at least a part of a plurality of pixels each including the photodiode,
wherein the chromic mirror is configured to change a transmittance of incident light,
wherein the plurality of pixels include one or more pixel pairs and each of the one or more pixel pairs includes a first pixel and a second pixel,
wherein the first pixel and the second pixel are configured to detect a same wavelength as one another, and being provided adjacent to one another; and

reading out an output signal from the plurality of pixels while controlling the transmittance by driving the chromic mirror,
wherein the output signal is read out from the first pixel and the second pixel sequentially or alternately using a floating diffusion that is shared between the first pixel and the second pixel,
wherein the chromic mirror is provided to face an entire region of a light receiving surface of the photodiode, for each of the plurality of pixels, and
wherein a first image picking-up operation by the solid-state image pickup device includes:
exposing the first pixel to the incident light while controlling the chromic mirror in the first pixel to a transmissive state and the chromic mirror in the second pixel to a reflective state in the one or more pixel pairs,
storing a charge into the first pixel while controlling the chromic mirror in the first pixel and the chromic mirror in the second pixel to the reflective state after the first pixel has been exposed to the incident light,
exposing the second pixel to the incident light by controlling the chromic mirror in the second pixel to the transmissive state upon reading out the charge stored in the first pixel as the output signal,
storing a charge into the second pixel while controlling the chromic mirror of each of the first pixel and the second pixel to the reflective state after the second pixel has been exposed to the incident light, and
exposing the first pixel to the incident light by controlling the chromic mirror in the first pixel to the transmissive state upon reading out the charge stored in the second pixel as the output signal.

11. The method of driving the solid-state image pickup device according to claim 10 , further comprising a focusing operation and a second image picking-up operation,
wherein the chromic mirror is provided to face a part of the light receiving surface of the photodiode, for each of the first pixel and the second pixel included in the one or more pixel pairs,
wherein the focusing operation includes:
reading out the output signal from each of the first pixel and the second pixel while controlling the chromic mirror of each of the first pixel and the second pixel to the reflective state in the one or more pixel pairs;
detecting a phase difference between the first pixel and the second pixel on the basis of the output signal read out from the first pixel and the second pixel; and
determining in-focus or out-of-focus by comparing the detected phase diff

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Kuboi Nobuyuki

Classifications

• H04N23/672

  based on the phase difference signals · CPC title

• H04N25/704

  Pixels specially adapted for focusing, e.g. phase difference pixel sets · CPC title

• H04N25/134

  based on three different wavelength filter elements · CPC title

• H04N23/75

  by influencing optical camera components · CPC title

• H04N23/73 Primary

  by influencing the exposure time · CPC title